Modern Hero Names

A worthy honoree that would place a too-heavy expectation on a child, probably subjecting him to ridicule. Try Pablo instead.

Evocative of the great Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda, real last name Basoalito, who took on the surname Neruda to honor a Czech poet of that name. One of the most poetic boy names starting with N, or with any letter, for that matter.

Oprah's almost mononymic first name is too closely tied to her personality (and brand) for us to recommend it as a baby name in good faith. Her surname, however, is definitely name-worthy. Winfrey works as a modern update to Whitney, with the added bonus of being associated with one of the most influential women of our time.

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. brought this spirited geographic name to the fore.

There will probably be lots of little namesakes after the fastest man in the world, Jamaican Olympic runner Usain Bolt--middle name St. Leo.

Teigen is rising in popularity now that model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen has made it more visible.

This surname is on trend with its S ending, and could honor people such as athlete Jesse Owens. But it has strong potential for confusion with Owen singular.

If you love the venerable Southwestern painter but feel Georgia's gotten too overheated, you might want to go all the way to this Irish surname in the fashionable O' family.